On Wednesday FIFA president Gianni Infantino following a virtual extraordinary Congress announced the hosts for the 2030 and 34 FIFA World Cup. Saudi Arabia was given the hosting of the 2034 World Cup. Spain, Portugal, and Morroco were awarded the hosting rights of the 2030 World Cup.
Haroon Malik represented the Pakistan Football Federation in this meeting. It was confirmed in a press release sent to media outlets including The Sports Side. In 2023 FIFA announced that the next World Cup hosts will be from Asia or Oceania.
Asian Football Confederation backed Saudi Arabia’s bid. Indonesia and Australia also submitted the combined bid but they withdrew later. Saudi Arabia Getting the hosting was already on the walls on Wednesday when it was made official.
Spain, Portugal, and Morroco will host the majority of the tournament but South American countries with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will get one match each marking the hundredth anniversary of the tournament.
Speaking on the occasion FIFA president said “We are bringing football to more countries and the number of teams has not diluted the quality. It actually enhanced the opportunity,”
Saudi Arabia will become the second Middle Eastern country to host the tournament after Qatar in 2022. To avoid the impacts of the desert summer tournament will held in winter and the northern hemisphere.
Saudi Arabia Faces Backlash After Being Nominated World Cup Host.
Saudi Arabia getting the hosting rights has also faced its share of backlash from football fans who think the bidding process was flawed to human rights groups who are vocal about the country’s poor human rights record regarding its treatment towards, laborers, women, and other minority groups.
It’s Part of the Bigger Picture
Under the leadership of Muhammad Bin Salman Saudi Arabia is trying to Diversify its economy and has presented the vision 2030. Hosting major sports events is part of that. Last year star footballer Christiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi club Al Nasar due to which the popularity of Saudi Football has skyrocketed.
Qatar also faced heavy criticism but in the end, they were able to successfully project their positive image. Only time will tell if Saudi Arabia can replicate what their neighbors did.
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